Healthy Ageing

Health is not just the absence of disease. It is the balance of mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. All too often this balance is disrupted and can result in stress, anxiety and or depressive moods.

Prolonged stress affects our moods and attitudes, depletes essential nutrients and therefore affects the way our bodies function.

Naturopath Victoria West says that often people under stress present with fatigue. “People have become so used to stress that sometimes it is not immediately obvious that people are having a stress issues” Victoria says. “Often they will present with symptoms such poor sleep, hormone imbalance, difficult bowel patterns, skin conditions and low mood, to name a few”.

There are many reasons for poor health Victoria says and often there is a complex interplay of stress, nutritional deficiency and hormone imbalance.

Victoria explains that part of the stress response requires adequate nervous system hormones to balance the fight or flight response. If nervous system hormones are depleted through prolonged stress, then anxiety attacks can develop. Victoria says herbal medicines and lifestyle choices can help improve stress response and moods, even if people have panic attacks.
Adrenal fatigue is a Naturopathic term where people experience extreme fatigue and often painful muscles. This condition indicates the body’s reduced coping ability and is known as the Exhaustion phase of the stress response.

For help phone Victoria now on 9792 4248

Understanding your food cravings can be tricky.

Naturopath Victoria West says cravings are often a sign of fatigue, hormonal imbalance or stress. “Our body can sometimes mix its messages, particularly if we are constantly busy and don’t have time to check in with what our body needs” Victoria says.

Blood sugar drops can also be a problem for many people and can lead to mood changes and increased sugar cravings. Victoria says, often chocolate is the go to food because of its high level of fats and sugar to satisfy the nervous system. If a person then eats a ‘forbidden’ food, their willpower and confidence often take a battering. This means the client becomes more focused on a perceived negative aspect of their behaviour and often motivation drops off as it becomes ‘too hard’ to keep up with their intentions of losing weight. Support to make permanent changes is vital in helping people succeed in achieving their weight loss potential, Victoria says

Advice from Victoria is to increase protein sources and drink adequate water throughout the day. ”Often when people are not used to drinking enough water. The body can easily mistake thirst for hunger”.

Victoria’s other pieces of advice are to avoid juices, dried fruits and other sugars and eat whole foods. “Whole foods are rich in nutrients which means your body is not looking for sugar to increase energy or deal with stress”.

Victoria has many other strategies to help overcome sugar cravings and stress and increase energy willpower and weight loss. Phone Victoria now on 9792 4248

Type 2 diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease.

There is also increasing recognition that people with Type 2 diabetes are using natural therapies & herbs to help improve their blood sugar readings, reduce inflammation and weight loss along with improving energy & health.

Typically symptoms of diabetes may include weight gain or weight loss, thirst, increased urination, fatigue – particularly in the afternoon, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels (including high triglyceride levels, blurred vision, mood changes & inflammation.

Naturopath Victoria West says there are several tests she does which are over and above current medical practice. The extra testing is done to determine the underlying reasons the client has developed diabetes.

Dietary and lifestyle factors are also taken into account at the initial assessment and a thorough plan is implemented to help the client refocus on improving their health.
For information and help with diabetes or “pre-diabetes” conditions phone Victoria now on 9792 4248

As the weather warms up, so does the mosquito breeding season and the risk of Ross River Virus.

Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne disease which often causes people fatigue, sore joints, fever, headache, general unwellness and sometimes a rash.

Naturopath Victoria West sees many people with Ross River virus, Barhmah Forrest Virus (BFV), Shingles, Herpes and other viral illness’. Although RRV and BFV have different causative agents to Shingles, the common thread is that they are all ‘envelope viruses’. According to Victoria, several herbal medicines are known to benefit eradication of envelope viruses. The herbs help to ‘open the envelope’ and allow the immune system access to kill the virus. “Within as little as a few days to a week, people can start to feel a difference” Ms West said.

Prevention however is better than a cure. Mosquito’s tend to be prevalent at dawn and dusk. If you are out, make sure you use a suitable repellent and cover up. Victoria also suggests using commercial repellents on the clothes, particularly around ankles, wrists and back of the neck.

For more information about Ross River Virus contact Victoria West at Bunbury Natural Health on 9792 4248.

IBS is just a name describing what is happening to the bowel rather than what is causing the issue.

A medical web definition of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is “a common condition characterized by abdominal pain and cramps, (diarrhea and/or constipation, or both), gas, bloating, nausea, and other symptoms’ that are particular to the person.

Most times people are told this is something they have to live with, but according to Naturopath Victoria West, advances in science are now able to help pinpoint possible causes.
The bowel is a very complex organ system whose functions include: absorption of nutrients to feed the body, Immune protection (60% of your immune system resides in the gut), detoxification of hormones we make and chemicals we eat, production of some vitamins, hormones and enzymes for digestion and blood sugar regulation and contains nerve fibres and neurotransmitters to communicate messages to the brain.

In fact Victoria says “there are more nerve fibres going from the gut to the brain than the other way”. This indicates your gut helps regulate the nervous system (moods, immune) by informing the brain (via food and stress hormones) about our environment and what is happening. “Therefore the importance of healthy gut bacteria is vital to help provide the right messages to the brain, if I can put it simply.”

What can you do for your IBS?

That depends on your symptoms Victoria says. I take a detailed case history to understand the symptoms and any underlying issues. IBS is so personal and everyone is different. I start with recommending dietary changes as this sometimes fixes the problem. If symptoms continue then herbal treatments are prescribed to support symptoms and treat underlying issues.

If you or someone you know needs help with IBS call Victoria now on 9792 4248